This year, the holiday cheer came early. Food and beverage brands have begun debuting seasonal items – including Christmasy retail products like Trolli’s Sour Brite Abominable Snowmen gummies, which are showing up on shelves at Hy-Vee and Walmart stores.
However, the holidays can be a tough time of year for folks with food allergies and other dietary restrictions, and food and beverage companies are catering to this audience with more innovative, allergen-free holiday treats than ever.
Innovation Meets Inclusivity
In recent years, F&B brands have developed an increasing number of seasonal products geared toward individuals with both the common and more unconventional food allergies and dietary restrictions – from Kosher Certified Chocolate Turkeys to Pumpkin Spice Cocomels that are free from ingredients like soy, corn syrup, and GMOs on top of the usual suspects.
For those celebrating Hannukah with wheat allergies, Katz offers gluten-free Sliced Challah Bread in addition to its robust selection of gluten-free holiday treats that includes Gingerbread Donuts and Peppermint Crème Cakes, as well as frozen multi-purpose dough for the DIY crowd.
On the confectionery side, No Whey! has developed an Advent Calendar full of vegan treats, while YumEarth manufactures an assortment of holiday candies that are free from soy, peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, and sesame like Candy Canes and Gingerbread House Baking Kits – both of which are already available for purchase online.
Consumers who are looking to consume less sugar this holiday season have plenty of better-for-you options at their fingertips as well, such as Smart Sweets’ Caramels, which purportedly contain 95% less sugar than the alternative.
Harken Sweets’ candy bars are another option, which are rich in prebiotic fiber and functional ingredients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants while containing zero added sugars, GMOs, animal products, preservatives, or artificial additives.
“By macerating our dates, we were able to create the first-ever date caramel without using milk or butter,” CEO Katie Lefkowitz told The Food Institute back in October. “Our bars avoid artificial additives, preservatives, etcetera and that builds trust,” she added.
For those avoiding lactose, several F&B brands have debuted dairy-free eggnog alternatives, including holiday nogs by MALK Organics and Califia Farms, which are both made with almond milk, as well as Chobani’s Oat Nog.
Festively Freeze-Dried
Other noteworthy holiday candies include Sow Good’s newly released line of freeze-dried marshmallows, which are available in fun, festive shapes like Christmas trees and Santa Claus.
“Consumers are drawn to the intensified flavor, airy puffiness, and satisfying crunch that freeze-dried candy provides,” CEO Claudia Goldfarb told FI.
She expects to see an influx of freeze-dried treats from major brands hitting the confectionery market in the next couple of years.
“Fortunately, we recognized this early and are already far ahead, offering an innovative and diverse assortment that sets us apart from any newcomers,” Goldfarb added.
The Food Institute Podcast
Is it possible to balance a legacy brand and innovative ideas for a food company? Bibie Wu, chief communications and technical development officer with Del Monte, shares how her company respects its past while looking to the future, and how her dual roles in marketing and product development inform each other and improve the company.
